Wooing You
by Xenolicious
Summary: Two years passed since the 4th War. Our shinobi are young adults filled with hormones and emotions. The kunoichi we all know and love, decide they've waited long enough for romance. Time to make the first move. SasuSaku NaruHina NejiTen ShikaIno
1. And so it Begins

**Chapter 1 – And so it Begins**

It had been two years. Two years since the Fourth Great Ninja War. Not a war between the nations, but rather a war in which the nations came into glorious alliance to fight a great evil. The battle was bloody. Gory. Messy. There were many casualties. Many deaths. And when all seemed bleak, and all hope lost, He saved the day. Uzumaki Naruto, with the Will of Fire, and the spirit of a wild beast, harnessed the Kyuubi's chakra, and used it to defeat Madara. And in the same process, finally put Uchiha Sasuke back into reality. With great force he knocked sense back into the broken prodigy. It wasn't easy though. It took a lot of fighting, a lot of pleading, and a lot of blood, sweat, and sheer strength of will for Naruto to point Sasuke to the path back home.

The two were nearly completely exhausted from battle, each on the brink of fatality. When by some otherworldly circumstance, Sasuke stopped. A long, quiet, and strained stare was shot Naruto's way. Naruto held an expression of aggravation, sadness, and the utmost determination he could muster; he was going to bring this bastard home no matter what the consequences. No one quiet understood what, at that very moment, caused Sasuke to swiftly jump to Naruto's side, and with a single breath muttered "this war is over." Never before had such wave of emotion flood Naruto's soul. It was a mixture of relieve, excitement, joy, happiness, thrill, and anticipation; he had finally got his best friend back. And they were going to kick some serious ass.

And so it ensued; with a little help from a quick medic nin fix, the two joined forces. With their final chakra, and the last of their willpower, they took down Madara once and for all. That is not say, that they had miraculously overcame this feat single handedly. They had the great nations behind their back! And when the smoke finally cleared, there laid Naruto and Sasuke, unconscious, drenched in blood not only theirs, bruised, battered. But content all the same. It was a finally over; a calm expression painted on each of their faces. Mere feet away from their sleeping forms, lay the corpse of Uchiha Madara. Broken masked, his eyes closed slowly as he took his last breath. All the while grinning to himself as he struggled to breathe out his final testament, "The Uchiha name...will be avenged..."

It was a glorious battle; one which the Leaders swore that they would NEVER wish to see again. Yet one that left terrible scars upon the Land and its people. Many were injured in such ways that they would never be able to return to training as a ninja. Others were so mentally scarred by the turn of events that they would never be able to return as a functional member of society. As for Naruto and Sasuke? Naruto was left with nothing that his innate ability to super heal couldn't fix up in a few months. However, having used his Mangekyou in the battle against Madara, Sasuke's eyes were left in an ungodly state of deterioration. Of course, as thanks for helping defeat Madara in spite of running of and being a Missing Nin, it would be nothing a few months, maybe years, of continuous surgery could fix; all thanks to the World's greatest medic nin and Hokage of course. Although he would most certainly return to 100% perfect vision, he would unfortunately have to spend the time till the end of his treatment, as a blind man; having to wear bandages wrapped all around his head and eyes.

* * *

And so we return to the current Konoha. Two years had passed; but it would be many more before the city was back to full capacity. A lot of repairs and clean up had to be done; and it sure as hell was going to take a lot of time, money, work, and patience. But there was never a shortage of volunteers; the whole ordeal brought everyone just that little bit closer to one another; for the time being of course. Before you knew it, the nations would go back to their silly squabbles and start messing with one another.

As it were, the once cute and adorable genin 9 had grown up into fine, strong, and talented adults. At the present time, the original Team 7, minus Kakashi, were enjoying the nostalgic taste of Ichiraku Ramen; how it brought back memories of their childhood. Running around, doing D rank missions, and just enjoying being 12 years old. Now, the young adults ate delightfully and enjoyed each other's company.

"Te-hah!" Naruto sounded as he slurped the last bit of the ramen soup, placing the bowl down from his grasp. "Ne-San! Another one!" He urged Ayumi.

"Hai!" She replied with a gleeful smile; Naruto sure could put it away. He was on his 6th bowl so far, and she was sure he room for at least 4 more.

"Naruto! If you keep eating like this, you are going to run out of money!" Sakura scolded him from her seat on his left, with a small scowl upon her brow. Hands on hips, she sighed at the stupid grin he returned to her.

"Daijoubu, daijoubu Sakura-Chan!" He attempted to reassure her, "I've been saving up money a lot this month! Cup ramen is cheap nowadays, so I can afford to eat out like this today!" He said with a glint of excitement as he saw his next bowl placed down in front of him; hot, steaming, and completely enticing.

Sasuke on the other hand, quietly sat on Naruto's right hand side, eating his bowl with eloquent mannerisms. It's what you expected from a well educated child. Lost in his own thoughts, he paid little to the squabbles of the two beside him. After this many years, he was so used to it, that it became nothing more than mere background noise.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun? Don't you agree?"

"Ah." He responded in time. Not even aware of what Sakura was talking about, and not at all caring that much either. He assumed it more than likely had to do with Naruto's poor financial capabilities. Lord knows how many times he and or Sakura had to treat the Dobe to ramen many nights in a row when he was broke.

Sakura's eyes softened; she was all too aware of Sasuke's body language. He was lost in thought and she knew it. It saddened her sometimes to see him like that; all quiet and reserved. More so than usual of course. The events of the past had a severe impact on his relationship with the two. She missed the old Sasuke; but all the same, she was glad to have him back in her life.

At first she was cold to him. During the return to Konoha, and the first few months back, she didn't make it her business to talk to him. Not unless it was truly important. She didn't really show any sort of true hatred or disgust toward him, but simply had a neutral expression or tone when she spoke to him, or about him. It took almost a whole year, but slowly and surely, she acted around Sasuke as she would anyone else. Of course, the one prominent thing that had struck Sasuke's mind; was that Sakura no longer 'fangirled' over him. And for that he was most thankful. He didn't need another Karin. To be honest he found the company of this new, more mature Sakura to be more pleasant.

Naruto on the other hand treated Sasuke as though he had never left. Sasuke may not have showed it, acting his usual 'cool' self and all, but Naruto's constant loud vulgarity, and genuine openness, was something he missed. Being around people like Orochimaru and Madara, he never had anything like what he had back here in Konoha. He had to keep his guard up constantly, never a moment of relax. And no matter what, he had to make sure to keep his emotions down and in check. The only thing he kept in his heart all that time was hatred, and the sheer desire for revenge.

Sakura sighed quietly and turned her frame back toward the counter. She resumed her meal quietly and composed. Naruto titled his head with a "hm?", not entire sure what just happened. He simply shrugged and continued his meal; splashing soup as he messily slurped the noodles up and big gulps. And of course, the multitude of flying soup landed all upon Sakura's skirt, and her general direction.

"Gah! Naruto!" Sakura yelled and with a swift motion, delivered a much needed 'gonk' to Naruto's head with a gloved fist.

"ITTEEE-EEEH!" Naruto responded loudly in kind.

Hidden by his hair, Sasuke let slip the smallest of small smirks.

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTES**

So after a few years I FINALLY get back into writing fanfiction! Sadly, I've decided to discontinue You Remind Me, and Forbidden Love D: In any case, I have a good feeling about this story. Haha, hopefully I won't lose interest ae! XD I'm toooooo lazy to reread my story to check for grammatical or spelling errors, so if you spot any, PLEASE do not hesitate to tell me so in a review :D Reviews help feed my soul and my soul keeps me alive so you should totally review ;D Also let me know if any characters seem OOC in any chapters later on. Nothin' ruins a story than heavily OOC characters. Hopefully I can keep mine in check as best as possible!

Sorry it's such a short chapter _ but I promise to expand to min 3k per chap later on! That is of course if people enjoy this story :P Else I'll have to scrap it! DX


	2. Epiphany

**Chapter 2 – Epiphany**

"Sakura-chaaan~!"

The sound was brief. Quick. Like a kunai zipping past her ear. That voice. That whine. It flowed through her body; tantalising her sensations. Like a wave, her emotions flooded her, butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and a smile sewn into her sweet lips. Hinata knew that sound anywhere; Naruto.

With an almost skip to her step, she followed the sweet serenade as it lead her through the bustling streets. And there, as she stood hidden behind a stall, she caught side of that all too familiar orange and black delight. Sitting with his closest companions, she smiled sweetly as she watched them from a distance.

Hinata sighed, and turn to face away; her back now resting upon the wall, hands interlocked and resting against her heart. Her gaze turn upward and she watched the clouds swim through the air. She closed her eyes, and with a deep breath, she took in all her surroundings. The gentle breeze as is whispered softly sweet songs in her ears, the scuffling of nearby children playing streets, the sunlight as it gently kissed her skin, smells of spices both sweet and strong teasing her; all these things were familiar. All these things were 'home'. But nothing made her feel safer, more secure, and more in love, than the sound of Naruto's voice. He made her feel so many things at once; she thought she would simply die from joy. Never had one single being this much pleasure in another by simply being.

She let her hands slowly drop to her side and her expression softened. She remembered when she finally mustered the courage to tell Naruto how she felt. The words were sugar in her mouth; sweet and delightful. Now two years later, she wondered if he even remembered. Had he still harboured hopes for Sakura to return his affections? Or had those long since passed with Sasuke's return? Or perhaps, being the worst she feared, did he simply not return her affections? The thought poisoned her heart. With its fangs it pierced her heart, infecting it with venom most foul. It bled her dry. But then she remembered something that Sakura had said to her.

It was after the final battle, perhaps two weeks. Hinata awoke and found herself in hospital. Sakura was there tending to her, and greeted her with a welcoming smile.

_"Hinata, you're awake! How do you feel?"_

_"Ii desu... I feel fine... Arigatou Sakura-san," Hinata replied softly; still drowsy from her slumber. She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping, but she felt numb from immobility._

_"Naruto will be glad to hear you finally woke up,"_

_"N-Naruto-kun?"_

_"Hmhm! He's been here a few times to check up on you; sometimes late at night when patients shouldn't be disturbed. Ano baka," Sakura laughed jokingly as she sat down on a stool beside Hinata's bed. Gently upon her cheeks, a blush was spread. Naruto came to check up on her? Could this mean that he possibly returned her feelings? Then again, Naruto could simply be acting "Naruto". His personality is simply bubbling with joy and free love to all his Nakama. Yes, that's probably what it was; Naruto was checking up on her as he would if any of his other friends were in hospital. Sakura noticed the saddened expression on Hinata's face; knowing what the poor girl was thinking._

_"Ne, Hinata-san," Sakura spoke up. Said girl looked up with interest in her faded eyes. Sakura paused for a bit, giving thought to her words before she spoke. "Naruto is... Well, he is Naruto. Meaning he can a bit slow. Sometimes he just doesn't fully understand what someone is saying to him. And it takes a while to explain something so that he'd FINALLY understand. But, don't look so sad. Naruto may be dense, giving justice to "ignorance is bliss", but he cares a lot about you." Sakura smiled and placed a caring hand on Hinata's shoulder._

_"Hai, Sakura-san. Naruto can be...Naruto."_

Hinata smiled at the remembrance. Yes, Naruto can sometimes just be, 'Naruto'. More than likely, he did not fully grasp the concept of what she had said. Not fully coming to the understanding and realization of her confession. Hinata clenched her fists tightly. A look of determination swelled her cheeks; she was going to have to **make** him understand. Her determination soon morphed into that of anxiety. Would she once again have the strength to tell him how she feels? She could not remember when last, or if any a time, she had fully approached Naruto, and had a normal conversation. One without fainting, stuttering, or loss of speech. Her worry grew only greater; had her confession whence she stood between him and Pein, been the only time she could talk to Naruto in full confidence? Talk about dampening spirits. No! Unacceptable! She did not spend three years apart from him, bettering herself, standing between him and Pein, finding courage to face her fears, to suddenly be faltered by the fear of rejection or misunderstanding. Even if Naruto didn't feel the same way about her, she could live her life a little happier knowing that she overcame her shy ways, and managed to at least confess her love. Not to mention it sure would be a triumph to get Naruto to, at the very least, understand the concept of her love for him. Both nervous and excited by the very idea, Hinata headed home, not without sneaking another quick glance at Naruto.

* * *

Upon her arrival home, Hinata ran into Neji. The Hyuuga prodigy was just about getting ready to leave.

"Hinata-sama," Neji greeted her with a small head nod.

"Neji-kun," She greeted in turn. It was a small exchange. The two were never big on having lengthy conversations with one another. Fixing his attire one last time, Neji then departed toward the training grounds; Lee and Tenten were surely there already and in a friendly spar. He was not one to be late, but duties to family do take priority at certain occasions.

And sure as he had thought, there was Tenten and Lee in a heated battle of fists. The weapon mistress looked like she was having trouble against her fellow Chuunin. Back in genin days, Tenten would often easily beat Lee; especially when she was fired up and fuming about being left out of certain missions. The one pertaining to the kidnapping of Matsuri was one such occasion; and Tenten made sure to give Lee a good pound to the face. Not without making sure he was alright after of course. Upon the realisation that Neji had arrived, Tenten called to Lee and gestured that that spar was over.

"Neji! Why are you late?" Tenten demanded; hand on hips as she strolled to meet him.

"Ah. Gomen. I had some family matters to attend to," he explained as he stretched. Tenten simply sighed, and Lee nodded in understanding.

"Mataku...In any case, let's spar!"

"Hai."

The group spent about 3 hours sparring. Neji versus Tenten was most interesting; and Lee watched with enjoyment as Tenten relentlessly unleashed her barrage of weapons upon the Hyuuga. He had great excited and cheer for each of his team mates; Neji for his agile and swift ability to dodge the weapons, as well as being able to block someone them with just a quick flick of his wrist. And of course it was no expense cheering for Tenten for having the ability to summon such a behemoth amount of weapons to begin with. It was then Tenten versus Lee, and he was most keen to properly test Tenten's hand to hand capabilities; it was an area she could use improvement. It was not like he expected Tenten to reach his level of taijutsu; that was **his **area of expertise of course. Although he did want her at least to prove a bit more of a challenge against Neji than what she usually would. And so they battled; long and hard. Fists collided with blocking forearms, kicks met muscle or misjudged bone; it was a little brutal to see. Not often did the two have a serious fight like this; unless it was for the sole purpose of bettering one's skill. Neji stood silent under a tree as he watched them. Arms crossed and safe in the shade. Specs of sunlight danced across his frame as they crept through the leaves. He welcomed the wind as it caressed his warm skin with a gentle cold. It was late February, and spring had settled in nicely. There were days, like these, were although the sun shone brightly, the cold winter breeze provided just the right amount of relief. Then there were days when it would rain, softly and cold. Neji was glad it wasn't one of those rainy days. It made training tedious, yet at the same time fighting in any weather condition is still good practice.

When it was finally his time to spar with Lee, he stretched one last time, and made his way over.

"You did well," he said to Tenten as he passed her, and she him. She seemed almost surprised, but smiled with thanks and went to sit in the very place he had been standing.

"Neji. I will fight till I can fight no more! Till my muscles ache and scream! I will endure the pain of youth, till I win against you in our spar! And if I cannot beat you, then I must run 2000 laps around Konoha! This I promise!" Lee announced with pride. He was still the same old Lee on the inside.

"...Let's just start," Neji sighed at Lee's often odd prerequisites for battle outcome. In the past, Neji had always won against Lee when it came to sparring. But back then, Neji had looked down on Lee for his believe in that he, Lee, could become a great shinobi with nothing more than taijutsu. It was only after losing to a 'loser' such as Naruto, that Neji came to change his close minded way of thinking. Now he encourages Lee to continue to pursue his goals, and finds him even more challenging to fight than he could have ever imagined.

Tenten sighed as she breathed in the cool air. She was rather tuckered out from her spar with Lee. She had not won, but she did feel as though she was getting stronger. Faster. Thus were the intentions of their extra serious spars. She watched with little shown excitement, the fight between Neji and Lee; but she was far too tired to fully show her enjoyment of the show before her. Never had their matches been this intriguing. Lee sure had ground some toned muscles over the years; nothing too visible like, Bee-san for example, but he wasn't all thin like Naruto. That wasn't to say that Naruto was weak; looks are most deceiving. It must just be in his genetics to be a tall thin boy. Tenten decided that Naruto and Sasuke, perhaps even Neji (though she couldn't tell from his baggy attire), were very 'bishi' looking. Lee, she decided, would probably get more 'buff' as the years pass by. She giggled at the thought. What if Lee became 'sexy?' It was a thought of great hilarity to picture someone with his personality to have a figure girls might swoon over.

Her mind was filled with many thoughts, ranging from the future of her teammates, to her own dream of one day following in the footsteps of Tsunade. It was Tenten's dream to become a famous kunoichi like Tsunade; maybe not for incredible medical ability, but to acquire the same level of fame and recognition nonetheless. She was certain that she could do it! Tenten scoffed at thinking of the time, back during the days of the Chuunin exam, where Neji had made up his mind that kunoichi would never fully reach the same capability as their male counterparts. She had scolded him for that comment good.

With her thoughts once again returning to Neji, she focused her attention back on the fight. It seemed that Neji and once again won, but just barely. Lee was soon going to be a little much for just plain taijutsu; he would have to start using some ninjutsu to beat him by a long shot.

"Neji, that was an honourable loss against you, and I will now fulfil my promise, and will commence with my 2000 laps!" with his trademark grin and thumbs up, Lee jogged off. Neji quietly watched him leave, and he was out of sight, sighed heavily. He started to stretch; Lee sure put stress on his muscles today.

All the while behind him, Tenten watched with great interest. In the bare sunlight, Neji seemed to glow with an aura she could not describe. There he stood before her, back facing her. He had stripped to a white singlet, a pair of long black shorts, and was now barefoot. His chocolate hair mirrored the sunlight in sheer beauty. Sweat ran all along his body; making the sun dance like tiny stars across his skin. His arms and legs were feminine in a very cute and sexy 'bishi' way Tenten mused.

'Neji sure has long hair,' Tenten thought to herself. 'I wonder how he keeps it so smooth and silky looking?' It was then that she came to a realisation of great truth: from behind, Neji looked like a woman! That tall slender figure, encompassed with delicate hands, and lock silky brown hair? If no one knew who he was, they would **most certainly **mistake him for a tall super model from behind. The thought of this caused Tenten to suddenly burst into a gentle laughter fit. Neji furrowed his brow slightly at the sudden sound, and turn around to the accused.

"Nani?"

"Haha... Nande mo nai yo. Neji," Tenten quickly said, waving dismissively at him. He stared at her, briefly and suspiciously, before simply shrugging it off and getting ready to leave. Despite that often girlish figure of his, Tenten had to admit; Neji looked good. It wasn't like she had a crush on him or anything; he was simply a good friend of hers who happened to be one of the most gorgeous shinobi in all of Konoha.

'It's not like I have a crush on him if I think he's a good looking guy. I mean, I acknowledge Sasuke's good looks, and I sure as hell don't like him!' Tenten repeated in her mind; a sort of way to reassure herself that there was no unnecessary emotions brewing. When she noticed Neji was packing up what little belongings he had brought with him, she spoke up.

"Ne, Neji," she called out to him as she stood up.

"Hm?" he responded as he turned to face her.

"Wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"Ah."

It was just lunch together. With one other person. A person who happens to be a very close friend. Who happens to be a guy. And that guy happens to be Neji. And Neji just happens to be a skilled jounin, prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, and all around drop dead gorgeous; thus making him one of the most eligible bachelors in Konoha. No, Tenten didn't have a crush on Neji at all...

* * *

**::Author's Notes::**

Once again I am waaay too lazy to reread a chapter after I just wrote it. SO! Anyone who has the time can ya pls review and tell me bout any and all spelling and grammatical errors k? :3 Hope I kept the characters MORE or LESS in character :S Next set up! ShikaIno and ShikaTema! I like, used to hate ShikaTema, but then watching a few old eps, specifically when Matsuri gets kidnapped, I realise JUST how much they flirt -_-' so I dunno. Both pairings will be in here, it's just personal preference now to see which one triumphs.

You may also realise that I am a big fan of putting in small Japanese phrases into my story. I'll put a glossary down here of every Jap word I use for those who suck and watch English dub thus have not learnt mini phrases, or for those who haven't watched enough of the Eng sub to have picked up certain words and phrases. If it's in "" then it's dialogue. Else it's just a word.

* * *

**::Glossary::**

"Ii desu" - "I'm okay" or "I'm good" or "I'm fine"

"Arigatou" - "thank you"

"Gomen" - "Sorry"

"Mataku" - "Honestly..." or "I mean, really now..." it all depends on the way you say it in english; like you would say 'honestly' but in an annoying tone

"Nande mo nai" - "It's nothing"

Nakama - I'm not sure how to explain this word. It's a phrased mainly used in One Piece. Like seriously, they use that word religiously. But I've head Naruto say it on the rare occasion; if I concentrate hard enough :P Nevertheless, I understand the meaning behind the word, and I feel it fits perfectly to the way Naruto feels about his village and friends. However I know not how to relay my understanding upon others, sooooo ya'll need to look it up yo selves :/


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